Why the Modern Tomato Tastes Like Cardboard

Summer tomatoes are so filled with promise: The deep, saturated color; the unique grassy fragrance; the expectation of a mouthful of sweet-salty tomato exuberance. But alas, supermarket-tomato after supermarket-tomato do little more than disappoint. How can a fruit with such potential constantly taste like a slightly salty watery nothing at best, and a mealy globe of cardboard at worst? We know that modern tomatoes are picked green and bred for pest-resistance, shipping and shelf life – and that the agriculture industry creates produce designed for profit not flavor. Are these the factors to blame for the tomato’s blasé demeanor? Even when allowed to ripen on the vine and shipped with great care, modern tomatoes are still insipid. Researchers have been looking into this tomato matter, and have recently uncovered a genetic cause for the fruit’s tedium. The mischievous culpr...